


Separation

by Beth Harker (Beth_Harker)



Category: Newsies (1992)
Genre: M/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 08:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17220785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beth_Harker/pseuds/Beth%20Harker
Summary: Jack and David have been dating forever, but becoming college roommates brings new challenges. Can their relationship survive?





	Separation

David paused in his packing to glare across the room at Jack. “This is going to be terrible,” he said, then stuffed a sweater into his suitcase. Those words broke a two week long stalemate.

When David and Jack had first left for college, it had been hand in hand, as boyfriends with more than two years of dating between them. David’s compromise had been agreeing to leave New York, and Jack’s had been just about everything else, at least according to how he spun the situation. David wouldn’t go to parties, and was hesitant to explore. When Jack kept all of his worldly possessions neatly locked away in a drawer on his side of the room, David felt that this showed a lack of trust, and when Jack started to throw his things all over their dorm, David felt that this was irresponsible. In the evenings, David alternated between shoving books in Jack’s face and shoving YouTube videos at him instead, then getting snippy whenever Jack watched them for more than David had decided was the allotted amount of time. Going outside to look at the stars or down to the shooting range on the other side of town wasn’t on David’s agenda. “You’re a student, not a cowboy Jack, and that’s only if you don’t flunk out and lose your financial aid,” was a familiar refrain between them. Jack was willing to wager that David cared more about Jack’s homework than his own.

The real clinchers in the mess that was their relationship had come in the form of three events. First, Jack had helped David pick up a package from the post office, then forgotten it in the cafeteria after getting distracted talking to some other guys. By the time Jack had remembered to try and retrieve it, whatever comforts Esther Jacobs had sent were long gone.

Second, they’d gotten a mouse in their dorm. Now, Jack had seen plenty of mice in his life, and this one was small and cute as far as things went, so he’d suggested trying to make friends with it. David had lost it then, pointing to the empty Lays bags in Jack’s waste paper basket, and ranting like he’d brought a scourge upon them.

Lastly, Jack had failed one of his midterms, leaving David livid. It was in English, and it wasn’t on account of not reading the books and poems, so much as reading them in a different order than the professor wanted. Jack was brimming in faith in his final score, because he’d read the Songs of Innocence and Songs if Experience twice, and those were something he could latch onto, when they came up on a test or an essay sooner or later. David insisted that Jack would forget them before they did, that Jack’s grades would be too low for him to stay, and that since Jack was going to be leaving anyway, he might as well just get used to him not being there in advance.

That’s when David had stopped talking at all, not to mention kissing and all the other things that made him fun to live with. He’d acted as if he’d drawn an imaginary line across their room and across his heart, and refused to venture over to Jack’s side on any accord. That’s why Jack didn’t answer him now. He whistled a little tune, and folded his own clothes, which was more than Mr. high and mighty neat freak David Jacobs was doing.

“Les doesn’t know we broke up.”

This got Jack’s attention. A lump rose in his throat, but he tried for nonchalance. “Yeah? Neither did I. You ever think of telling people these things?”

“I’m not talking to you,” David reminded him. He continued his packing for a minute, then looked around, clearly worried. “Les loves you,” he said, and then sighed.

“What do you want me to do? Date Sarah again? That’s one way of keeping it in the family.” Jack attempted to flash David a smile, but it came out wan and bitter. David didn’t even react, except to glare at his half-packed bag.

“Maybe you could talk to him about everything,” David suggested, after a few minutes had passed.

“I’m not saving you neck on this one, Dave. You can tell Les yourself what happened. Maybe once you’ve practiced on him you can even tell me.”

“Should I start by telling him how you play the hapless victim whenever you’ve done wrong?” David shot back.

Jack was tempted to argue that he didn’t even know what he had done wrong, but he wasn’t about to give David the satisfaction.

“Tell him what you want,” Jack said, and he left it at that.

—–

There were a lot of problems that came with growing up as a perpetual foster kid in a group home, and turning eighteen didn’t make them disappear. Thanksgiving break was one of those problems. Since the initial plan of crashing at David’s place had fallen through, Jack was left with the option of asking a favor of old Kloppman, who didn’t have any responsibility to him any longer, or else couch surfing. Legally, he also now had the right to try and get back with his father, but he didn’t want to.

Luckily Kloppman had a spare bed, and had always liked Jack anyway. Still, it made for a pretty dismal vacation. Jack hit up the old crew— Blink, Mush, Crutchy, and Skittery— while David hit up those very same people, but separately. A few of the others, like Specs and Dutchy, were off on vacation instead of coming home. Boots was still in high school, bogged down with AP classes galore, though he had texted Jack a promise to get him back on campus to see Ms. Medda, and Denton, and a couple other of the teachers. Jack remembered how just a few short months ago the school newspaper club had felt like a family to him, and the Jacobses had felt like a second one. Now the newsies were scattered to the winds, and he was probably barred from the Jacobs home forever for ruining David’s life, or whatever it was he’d done.

A day and a half into the break, and Jack was lying around feeling bitter that Blink and Mush were on a date, Crutchy had plans, and Skittery had become nocturnal and wouldn’t go anywhere or do anything with anybody before nine o'clock at night. That’s when somebody knocked on the door, and then Kloppman called Jack down to meet the visitor.

Whoever Jack had been expecting to see, it wasn’t Les Jacobs. Les was thirteen now, but he ran right at Jack and threw his arms around him the same way he had when he was nine. The impact of it just about knocked the wind out of Jack, but without even stopping to think, he hugged Les back anyway.

“I missed you!” Les said.

“Yeah, hey, I missed you too,” Jack ruffled Les’ hair as he spoke, and got a good natured swat in retaliation.

“It’s too bad you can’t stay at our place. Davey says you have to stay here. Say Jack, when are you gonna come over for Thanksgiving dinner?”

“It depends,” Jack said. He put his hand on Les’ back to guide him over to the kitchen table, where they could sit and talk. “When’s Davey gonna invite me?” He gave Les a playful wink.

“Probably when you stop being busy,” Les answered, just as nonchalant as could be.

This gave Jack pause. Les wasn’t talking as if anything had happened between him and David, or as if David had said anything about the end of their relationship. Les was acting like it was band season or final exams, and he and David were just too caught up in other things to spend much time together. “Did Dave say I was busy?” Jack asked after a moment.

Les nodded, “and David’s busy too. Sarah says it’s just because the two of you are getting older, and I need to give you some space,” Les made a face. “Not like before, when I used to always play with you. And… you know what? I get it, because I’m older too. I’m a teenager now, Jack.”

Les said the word ‘teenager’ as if it carried with it great weight, and it was all Jack could do not to laugh. “I’ll say you are,” Jack said. He raised his hand to his mouth, and Les mirrored the gesture, spitting at the same time as Jack. They shook hands, then Jack went in for another hug, figuring that was the best way to congratulate the kid on his newly minted teenagerhood.

The two of them talked for another hour, or rather, Jack let Les ramble on about school, and girls, and how Boots had found him and brought him to the very first newspaper club meeting, even though he was just a lowly a freshman, and the initial couple of meetings were meant to be for officers only.

The one thing that they didn’t talk about was David and Jack’s relationship status. The only conclusion that Jack could come to was that David hadn’t told him. When Les begged and consoled Jack to come back to the house with him, Jack agreed easily. If he was going to get to the bottom of what was going on, he was going to need to see David himself.

——

“Here comes trouble,” Sarah said when Jack entered the house.

“Here comes Jack,” Les was quick to retort, with a cheer that some might have called too childish for a worldly thirteen year old.

Sarah, Esther, Mayer, and David were all sat around a board game of some sort, and Jack felt a rush of affection. Sometimes watching the Jacobses was like opening up a textbook on what families were supposed to be, complete with dinners, game nights, and traditions that had been passed on across generations. They were everything that Jack had always thought he would never have, and then some.

This isn’t for you Jack reminded himself firmly, even as David excused himself from the pretty scene.

“I was losing anyway,” David said. The quick grin that appeared on David’s face as Mayer pretended to throw the dice at him was nearly physically painful for Jack. David grabbed on Jack’s sleeve to pull him upstairs, and of course Jack followed.

“So,” David said, once the doors to David’s old bedroom were closed, and they were seated on his bed. As Jack waited for the other boy to think of what to say, he looked around the familiar surroundings. The bookshelves that lined David’s walls had been picked clean of all of his favorites when he packed for college, but the crappy Star Trek novels he’d liked back in middle school were all still there. Awards and ribbons from science fairs, band, debate clubs, and honer rolls were scattered here and there. The photos of their friends had followed David out west, but the sorry excuse for a plush T-Rex that Sarah had made him back in kindergarten sat happily on his pillow, rejoicing at the return of its master.

“So,” Jack echoed.

David spread his hands, palms open, a supplicating gesture.

“You couldn’t tell them?” Jack asked.

“You know you’d be welcome at our house, even if the two of us weren’t together,” David began. “You’re the best friend I have.”

“Can’t say I’ve felt like that.”

“I know,” David answered. “I know. And I’m sorry about the mouse. It might’ve been my fault. I did go three days without doing dishes, and it was getting gross, so…”

Jack nodded, not that he really cared about the mouse. “Sometimes things just happen,” he told David. “Like critters and stuff. It ain’t the end of the world, no matter where they come from.”

“I guess I’m just not used to being so far from home,” David admitted. “And seeing you floundering doesn’t do me any good, Jack.”

“Who says I’m floundering?”

“Your grades do.”

“Oh.” Jack raked a hand up through his hair. He hadn’t thought much about those.

“I still have time to transfer somewhere else, if you’re not going to take is seriously. But not if you lose momentum at the end of our sophomore year? Then I’m stuck.”

“Because it’s so bad out there?” Jack challenged.

“Because I’m so homesick that I don’t know what to do with myself!” David shot back, his voice suddenly shrill. “And I could have stopped being stubborn for once in my life and gone to half a dozen good schools nearby, but I wanted to stay with you.”

Jack nodded. He touched David’s face, and David didn’t flinch away.

“I’m going to transfer for next September,” David explained after a moment. He closed his eyes. “ I acknowledge that I need to be here, but I also acknowledge that I haven’t been fair with you.”

Another nod from Jack. He didn’t know what to say, which was often an indication that the best thing he could do was listen.

“But,” David said, “I don’t necessarily want to end what we have either. I was thinking… Maybe we could try to make the best of where we are until the end of the school year, and I’m morally opposed to everything about Thanksgiving but it’s tomorrow and maybe you could come to that too, and…”

“And?”

“And maybe we could see from there,” David finished. “Get away from each other for a bit, and then come back, if it works for us both.”

“Alright,” Jack said, surprising himself. “You’re worth a lot to me, Dave. So let’s finish out this year together, and try the other three as an experiment, to see where they go.”

Having agreed upon this bargain, Jack spat in his hand and and waited for David to respond in kind. David decided to seal it with a kiss instead.


End file.
